Tributes for Jan. 30

Related Media

Pastor George Elliott

April 8, 1930-Jan. 22, 2013

Age: 82

Residence: Kersey, Colo.

Pastor George Yancy Elliott, Jr., 82, Kersey, went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Jan. 22, 2013, at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, with his family by his side. He was born April 8, 1930, in Macon, Ga., to George Y. Elliott, Sr. and Elizabeth Roselia (Lawrence) Elliott.

He graduated from Palm Beach High in West Palm Beach, Fla., in 1948, and Tennessee Temple School of the Bible, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Pastor George was preceded in death by his parents; and a sister, Jean Ford.

Pastor George and Frances served churches in Canby, Lookout and Graeagle, Calif., Coal Creek Canyon, Colo, Yountsville, Ind., Rosedale, Wash., a total of 23 years; and then Kersey Community Church in Kersey, Colo., for 21-plus years. He had served his country in the Army meritoriously from 1948-51, including parts of the Korean War. He was a member of Kersey Community Church and Grace Community Bible Church, Evans.

A memorial service will be at 10 a.m., Sat., Feb. 2, 2013, at Kersey Community Church, followed by a fellowship luncheon in the Memorial Building. Pastors Joshua Elliott, Dennis Jones and Gibb Green will officiate. Memorial gifts may be made to either Kersey Community Church or Grace Community Bible Church at P.O. Box 152, Kersey, CO 80644.

Ruby Misako Takamori Harada

March 24, 1918-Jan. 23, 2013

Age: 94

Residence: Windsor

On Jan. 23, 2013, surrounded by her family, Ruby Misako Harada peacefully ended her long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s. Ruby was 94 years old. She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Mitsu Harada, in July 2001.

Ruby was a Nisei-second generation Japanese-American-born to Tokuhei and Natsuye Takamori in Fort Lupton, Colo., on March 24, 1918. Anxious to assimilate in American life, her forward-thinking father introduced Ruby and her two sisters, Ina and Rose, to many American past-times. Included were baseball, tennis, and ice skating-certainly bold activities for gently bred Japanese females.

After graduating from high school in Fort Lupton, Ruby attended the Presbyterian Nursing School in Denver. She was forced to withdraw after one year due to an allergy to iodine, the primary medication during that time.

Back in Fort Lupton, she caught the eye of a University of Colorado student from Rocky Ford, Colo. His flashy motorcycle and quick smile drew her attention and a courtship bloomed. Ruby and Mitsu were married on March 17, 1940. They settled on the Harada family farm in Rocky Ford where Ruby immediately acquired three brothers and five sisters, in addition to a mother- and father-in-law. It was quite a change from the small quiet family she grew up in. Soon, son, Harry Jr., born in 1941, and daughter, Joyce, born in 1943, joined this large extended family. By the time daughter, Marge, was born in 1952, the family had moved to another of the Harada farms.

Farming life was busy. While Mitsu and his brothers concentrated on harvesting produce for distribution through nationwide wholesalers, Ruby sold vegetables she picked from her five-acre “garden” and delivered to local markets and also operated a farm market in the summer. These ventures provided opportunities for her children and their friends to learn the hard work and rewards of business entrepreneurship.

When farm revenue declined, Ruby looked at other ways to supplement the family income. She worked as a dental assistant with Dr. Herbert Mameda in Rocky Ford, before moving on to the Southern Colorado Power Company, where she worked as a clerk for 10 years until she retired in 1983. Ruby and Mitsu moved from Rocky Ford to Windsor in 1997 to be nearer their children and grandchildren.

As busy as work kept Ruby, her family always came first. She supported her three children in all their many endeavors and was proud of their accomplishments and shared their struggles. This support later extended to her grandchildren, as she and Mitsu would be in regular attendance at sporting events and the grandkids looked forward to weeks spent with Grandma and Grandpa in Rocky Ford. Ruby didn’t believe in “tough love,” but rather instilled Japanese traditions of family unity, respect and honor.

Ruby still managed to cultivate her many other talents. She taught herself to play the piano, mandolin and harmonica; and sang and choreographed dances performed at Japanese Buddhist festivals. She was also an accomplished painter. Her oil works are treasured displays in her families’ homes. There was not much Ruby could not do with a needle — whether it be a sewing machine, crochet or knitting. The breadth of her skills was truly amazing!

Her life of celebration will be honored at 10 a.m., Feb. 4, 2013, at the Tri-State Denver Buddhist Temple in Denver, followed by inurnment at Highland Memorial Park in Thornton. It is often said that individuals leave this earth having led a “good life.” With Ruby Harada, her 94 years were not just good — it was a “great life.”